Padron's latest Family Reserve is available only in one size. And it might be a great cigar. We say "might" because it was over and done way too fast. Even smoking it with restraint, it's a half-hour to forty minute smoke at best. Sadly, that's about the point where we were starting to get a good handle on the flavors. Sigh. Even worse, at $25 each, that works out to nearly buck per minute of smoking time!

The Padron Family Reserve No. 50 is actually big for a robusto, 5x54, but the box press makes it feel compact. It's a fairly light cigar in the hand, too. The draw offers little resistance, so it takes care to smoke it slowly, without overheating it. It also needed more than a few touch-ups and relights, causing it to burn even hotter, which made it tough to get the strong, concentrated flavor to open up. We would make it a point to dry box these for a few days before smoking.

Now, let's be clear and say for the record that there's no such thing as a bad Padron. Even during the boom, we never smoked a single Padron we didn't enjoy. The company's reputation for quality is well deserved. Certainly, this is a good cigar; our main disappointment is that we didn't like it as much as we wanted to.

Yet we can't help being cynical about this particular release. The blend seems much better suited for a toro size, at minimum. Did profit come first here? After all, it doesn't take a CPA to tell you that selling two robustos for $25 each is going to bring in more dough than one $30 toro. With limited tobacco to work with, obviously from a moneymaking standpoint it's better to stretch it as far as possible. If that's really the case though, we're disappointed.

So okay, with all that out of the way, how did it smoke? Well, the pre-light aromas were formidable as you'd expect. Lots of pepper and pungent earth. The flavors were rich and strong: a big, woody, cocoa-and-black-cherry smack upside the head. When the cigar burned too hot, these turned sour. When it needed a relight, they got sharp and charry. But when the cigar was dead on, burning perfectly and cooly, it was delicious, if not overly complex. For the price, it seems like the only smart move is to age these to see if time brings them closer to being something truly special.

Here we again run into the same dilemma we just had with another expensive limited edition, the La Aroma de Cuba Noblesse. How much better and more special is it than the far less expensive core line? In the case of the Padron 50 Years, is it five times better than the $5.20 robusto-size 2000? Nope. In fact, considering how quickly it smoked, we might rather have five 2000s than one of these.

Let's put it up against another sibling: the $11.40 1964 Anniversary Exclusivo. Frankly, that's a tougher call. If you like a punch in the gut, the 50 Years is going to suit you much better than the lighter-bodied, more subtle 1964. But compare the 50 Years to a $13.20 1926 No. 6 and as far as we're concerned they're neck and neck in terms of having comparable character.Listen, we understand that limited editions are special cigars that shouldn't be judged on price alone. If you like Padrons of any stripe, you will like this. Our only caution is for smokers on a budget. If you're making a sacrifice in order to enjoy a cigar tonight, there are better ways to spend $25. On the other hand, if $25 is something you can afford, have at one of these. They're little bombs of flavor and fun, and maybe you'll appreciate the short format more than we did.

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING — NEW!

Starting now, for your convenience we'll be ending each review with a roundup from other sites we like. We generally avoid reading reviews of a cigar before we sample it ourselves so as not to be inadvertently influenced. However, we make it a point to read all of them we can find afterwards to see how our experiences compare to others.

The Cigar Authority found much more to like than us, noting more complexity than we detected. They also said their samples burned razor sharp, unlike our experience. However, we detect some bias as they closed their review by stating, "50 Years ago today that cigar company that set the standard was born." That may be heaping on a bit too much praise, as Padron surely isn't the only top-notch maker out there. Stogie Guys also had high praise, but noted as we did that the cigar may only be a "slight" step up from the 1926 at a much higher cost. Seth's Humidor called it "nice" and "complex" but feels it isn't the best of the Family Reserve line.

THE DETAILS

5x54NicaraguaW: NicaraguaB: NicaraguaF: Nicaragua$25

THE HIGHLIGHTS

A rich cigar that's tasty and straightforward. Easy to overheat if smoked too eagerly though. Not a strong value at $25 for what is essentially a quickie smoke.

THE VERDICT

Sixteen bucks. That's the price of admission for the first-ever limited edition from La Aroma de Cuba. Certain people are going to want to know certain things upfront, so if you're one of them, we won't make you read the whole review. Yes, that's a lot of money. No, the Noblesse isn't three times better than a regular ol' $6 La Aroma. Cigar Aficionado has you covered with the nuts and bolts here.

Delving more deeply, the first thing we noticed is that it's much better looking in person than in publicity photos. The wrapper is even darker, oilier and more attractive, though maybe a little more veiny, if that kind of thing bothers you. (Leaves have veins; this is something the cigar community is going to have to get over.) The sky blue bands look great and set off the wrapper color nicely.

Prior to lighting, this cigar throws its weight around on multiple fronts. It's big and weighty, on the plus side for a toro at 6.5 inches by 52. It's also nice and stinky in a good way, like aged cheese, putting off a hearty tobacco aroma from a distance. A deep sniff from the foot got us sneezing thanks to a good dose of peppery spice.

Initially, this was a more straightforward cigar than we expected. The flavors were simply Generic Nicaraguan—the woody/peppery/earthy thing we all tend to expect, but leaning more toward fresh tobacco. Not bad, but unexciting. Things pick up quickly though, with a sweetness that smacks of dried fruits. A little baking spice sneaks in too, which was perfect for the late October weather. As the cigar warmed even further, a nice nuttiness added extra dimension and played well against an intensifying woodiness.

Performance-wise, the Noblesse burned and drew well enough. As the cigar softened up during smoking, we noticed it was just a bit lumpier than we initially thought. Still, it held a nice ash and was easy to enjoy. Considering how expensive these buggers are, and the fact they show considerable strength and body, we'd highly recommend aging. These have the potential to show more nuance and an even smoother overall personality.

Though it's a slow starter, the Noblesse is a nice smoke and worth a try for fans of La Aroma and/or the My Father range of cigars. But back to the elephant in the room we alluded to in the opening paragraph. The core La Aroma costs around $6 and is every bit as good as this cigar. Different, but equally good, though a little rougher around the edges. What's so special about this special edition aside from the appealing wrapper leaf and packaging then? Hmmm...

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING — NEW!

Starting now, for your convenience we'll be ending each review with a roundup from other sites we like. We generally avoid reading reviews of a cigar before we sample it ourselves so as not to be inadvertently influenced. However, we make it a point to read all of them we can find afterwards to see how our experiences compare to others.

﻿THE VERDICT﻿

Had we smoked this blind, we probably wouldn't have guessed it's a La Flor. Perdomo? Maybe. Or perhaps a new addition to the Drew Estates Liga Privada line. When we think of La Flor's core lines — Ligero, Double Ligero, Air Bender and Litto Gomez — we think of strong, leathery smokes that can be a bit lean flavor-wise for our tastes. Not the new 1994.

These big, dark cigars are lush with plenty of smoke and a mouth-fllling character with a long finish. We guessed there was some Nicaraguan filler mixed in, but we guessed wrong. According to La Flor's website, it's all Dominican right down to the binder, all of it from their own farms, which testifies to the diversity of tobacco now available from the DR. Long gone are the days when Dominican = Macanudo.

But the big departure here is the use of a dark and handsome "San Andreas" wrapper — a cigar industry marketing code word for "Mexican." Cigar makers must believe there's some stigma attached to Mexican cigars going back to the days of Te-Amo, which is admittedly kind of a love-it-or-leave-it proposition. We think it's time to put that to rest since the quality of Mexican tobacco has grown by leaps and bounds, and the cigars that use it no longer have the one-note quality once associated those Te-Amos of old.

The resulting cigar is an intensely flavorful experience without the excess strength of other La Flors. In fact, the 1994 hits the same sweet spot we appreciate so much in cigars like the new Davidoff Nicaragua -- medium body, but full flavor. With prices ranging from just $7.50 to $8.30, that's impressive.

The sizes in the 1994 lineup seem to have come from the Altadis playbook of fat, fatter and even fatter. There is a 5x52 robusto called the Conga that will have to stand in for a corona until Litto comes to his senses; we think this blend would be awesome in a 44 or 46 ring gauge. There's also a 6x58 gordo called the Adalba (that's surprisingly not huge-feeling) and a churchill called the Mamba that's a reasonable 7" long but sports a too-thick 54 ring gauge. We think the best of the line is the subject of this review, the Rumba, which is sort of double corona/toro hybrid at 6.5x52.

Get comfy, because this is a movie-length smoke best suited for a long and decadent post-lunch afternoon chill out session. And we don't mean pre-gaming with a half tuna sandwich and soup. Make it a rich one and then kick back with a coffee for this guy. You're in for a treat: deep cocoa and nougat notes that hint at chocolate candy; an earthiness uncommon to Dominican filler tobacco; and meaty notes capped with a dusting of black pepper.

Nothing will ever replace the discontinued and deeply missed Coronado by La Flor (review) in our hearts, but this new 1994 certainly takes the edge off our grudge. Day in, day out, we feel it's the most easily enjoyable and most rewarding cigar in their entire line and therefore one of the best they've ever released. Factor in the reasonable prices and you've got an uncommonly attractive smoke.

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING — NEW!

Starting now, for your convenience we'll be ending each review with a roundup from other sites we like. We generally avoid reading reviews of a cigar before we sample it ourselves so as not to be inadvertently influenced. However, we make it a point to read all of them we can find afterwards to see how our experiences compare to others.

The folks over at Halfwheel seemed to have a similar reactionto ours, coming away very impressed with the 1994. So too were The Cigar Authority, though Leaf Enthusiast reported having draw problems; our experience was quite the opposite. Based on the sum total of the reactions, formal and informal, we think La Flor Dominicana has a hit on their hands, and one that may even expend their fan base beyond the extremes of mild blends from their early days to super-heavy stuff in more recent years.